A KEY TO MY WORLD

Chapter 6

Dante pov

The silence between us was thick, and I could feel her eyes burning into the side of my face. I could see the way she wanted to speak—her mouth twitched, and her thoughts were like a parade of unwelcome questions. But I wasn’t in the mood for her probing today. I was still trying to shake off the unease that settled in my chest after seeing her earlier. Something in her expression, something in her silence had stirred a part of me I wasn’t ready to confront.

I turned my eyes back to the window, pretending to be absorbed in the landscape blurring by. I wasn’t going to let her get to me. Not this time.

Her voice finally broke the silence, light and casual, like she was asking for the weather forecast.

“You knew I was going to ask.”

I couldn’t help the small, sharp laugh that escaped me. “Alina, you’re simple to read.” I turned to face her, and my eyes locked with hers. She was playing that same game again, the one where she pretended to be uninterested, detached. But I could see the flicker of frustration hiding behind her mask.

“I just don’t get it, Dante,” she said, adjusting her legs and shifting in her seat. There was that casual tone again, like she was trying to mask her irritation with nonchalance. It didn't work. “You’re smart, right? But you can’t just keep avoiding the question.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. "People pass through you so easily because you're simple. You don’t even try to hide it."

I immediately regretted saying it, feeling the words burn in my chest. There was something about Alina that, when I looked too closely, made me want to tear her apart—piece by piece. She had this way of getting under my skin that nobody else did. And yet, for some ridiculous reason, I still found myself drawn to her, like a moth to a flame.

Alina's face tightened, but she didn’t say anything. She just crossed her arms over her chest, her lips curling into that sharp, mocking smile that made me want to rip it off her face.

“Whatever. Keep your secrets, then,” she muttered. “But you’ll regret not telling me sooner.”

I bit back the impulse to say something even worse. I didn’t need to lose my temper right now. Especially not with her.

Just as I was about to say something, the door to the driver’s seat swung open, and the driver slid in, signaling the end of our little exchange. The engine roared to life, and the car sped off. I couldn't resist sneaking another glance at Alina. She was staring at me now, her gaze unwavering. It made something inside me stir—an uncomfortable feeling that I couldn’t quite shake.

Her eyes were intense, and I could swear I saw a hint of something in them.

I leaned back in my seat, straightening my collar in a deliberate, cocky move. “Someone’s falling for my good looks,” I teased, voice dripping with sarcasm. I caught her eye, almost daring her to react.

Her response came so quickly it was like a slap across the face. “Tell that to the devil, because you’re not my type.”

The words hit me harder than I expected. My jaw dropped, and I leaned in closer, eyes narrowing. "You're also not my type of lady."

A burst of laughter escaped her lips, a low, mocking sound. “Good. Because you’re just a business partner to me, Dante.” Her tone was colder now, almost icy, and I could feel the tension growing between us. “That’s it. Just business. Nothing more, nothing less.”

I didn't know whether to be pissed or amused. She was trying to shut me out, to act like I meant nothing to her. But I could tell it wasn’t entirely true. There was something else simmering beneath her words, something raw and unspoken.

“I hate women who aren’t smart,” I said, before I could stop myself.

Alina's eyes flared with anger. Her whole body tensed as if she was preparing to strike. "Excuse me?" she snapped, her voice like a whip cracking through the air. "Are you calling me dumb, Dante?"

My heart skipped a beat. “No,” I said, quickly, before I could dig myself into a deeper hole. “I’m just stating a fact. You’ve got this attitude, but there’s nothing under the surface.”

Her face twisted in disgust. "I’m not playing your games. And I’m not sticking around for this."

She whipped her head around to the driver, her voice sharp and commanding. “Stop the car.”

The driver, a man I’d hired for his ability to follow instructions without question, hesitated for a moment.

“Stop the car!” she repeated, this time her voice even more forceful.

I could feel my temper rising as I leaned forward. “You don’t get to make demands here, Alina.” I clenched my fist against the seat, trying to steady myself. “Just sit back and relax. We’re going where I need to go.”

“No,” she said, her voice calm now, but cold. “If you don’t stop this car, I’ll open the door myself and fall out. See how you like that.”

I smirked, an unsettling mix of disbelief and amusement bubbling inside me. She really was determined to push my buttons.

“Do it, then,” I dared her. “But the driver keeps driving. You can’t escape that easily.”

She glared at me, her fists clenched, her eyes flashing. “You think you can talk to me like that? You think you can just—”

I spoke quickly, cutting her off. “Carlos.”

The driver didn’t flinch, but his eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. I switched to Spanish without thinking, speaking directly to him, my words sharp. “Sigue conduciendo. Llévame al penthouse, no a la mansión.”

I watched her closely, the moment of silence hanging between us. Her face twisted with confusion. “What did you just say?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

I leaned back in my seat, watching her with a mixture of amusement and something else, something dangerous. “Did you hear what I said?”

Her eyes darted between me and the driver. “I didn’t understand. What did you just say?”

The car picked up speed, and I noticed the click of the door locks as the driver adjusted his speed. I could feel the change in the air as we turned off the main road, the city’s skyline disappearing behind us. Alina wasn’t saying anything now. She just looked out the window, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

“Did you understand that?” I asked again, my voice softer now, more curious than anything else.

“No,” she replied flatly, still trying to process everything.

I smirked. “I told Carlos to take us to my penthouse. Not to the mansion.”

Her head snapped toward me, surprise flickering in her eyes. "Your penthouse?" she asked, clearly taken aback. She’d never seen it before. She’d been to the mansion plenty of times, but my penthouse was a different world altogether. A world that was just for me, away from everything else.

The car sped forward, and the building’s silhouette came into view. Alina seemed momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in direction. The penthouse wasn’t something I shared with anyone, not even her.

Alina opened her mouth to say something, but I silenced her with a sharp look. She fell silent as we drove closer, the tension in the car palpable now. The door to my world was about to open for her, and I knew it would change everything. She wants the truth about the pictures, then she will get it when she gets to my penthouse.